New War
by superhero0008
Summary: A strange girl is recalled from exile, and present Shibusen knows nothing about her. Death the Kid makes it his mission to find out who this person really is, before he and his friends are endangered by his father's decision.
1. Chapter 1

Anime world setting. I have not read the manga or anything, just the 51 episodes of the anime. So everything's based on that. Just felt like starting this on a whim. Bear with me. And reviews? Thanks. :)

PS I believe Crona's a girl. Er, I just wanted to get that out. LOL

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><p>It was a regular school day.<p>

Death City was back to its proper place, and classes at Shibusen had resumed. If not for the minimal repairs still being carried out in some parts of the city, one would not have a clue that there took place a war just a week ago.

"I suppose it's time to bring her back~" Shinigami-sama said in his signature comical voice as he sipped his tea. Opposite him were Death Scythe Spirit and the zombie teacher Sid. Both sputtered out their drinks upon hearing the death god's words.

"Shi – Shinigami-sama! You don't mean – her?" Sid's hoarse zombie voice sounded panicked.

"Yes, yes, I mean _her_."

"But what about Stein?" Spirit exclaimed, his arms flailing in the air. "And Kid!"

"Are you suggesting that I pass up this chance to defeat the enemy just to avoid confrontation within our ranks?"

As always, Shinigami-sama's voice was gentle and almost affectionate, but the two men in front of him could tell that he was serious, and when Shinigami-sama makes his mind up, it was probably for the best.

Spirit sighed, "I guess you're right."

"When I was still alive, I made decisions for the greater good. That is the kind of man I was."

"Saa~ Please send word right away that Izumi-chan shall return from exile as soon as possible."

The war from the week that passed might be over, but Shinigami-sama knew that the real enemy was just warming up. That is why, he needed Izumi back in Shibusen, no matter how chaotic it would turn out for everyone.

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><p>Death the Kid ran up the stairs and out into the balcony that overlooked the school entrance. This place had always been his private spot when he needed to get away for some peace and quiet. Well, not so private since Maka and the others frequented this place, too, but at least it was not so crowded up here as they all watched the episode taking place at the grounds below. Many other students littered the entrance, wisely leaving space in the middle for the newcomer approaching the building.<p>

"Who is he?" Liz asked no one in particular from Kid's right. All of them were leaning against the railing in order to better see. "Or she? I can't really tell with the clothes."

"I heard Sid-sensei telling Stein-hakase that someone…" Maka's voice trailed off.

"Maka, what?" Soul asked impatiently.

"Someone was going to be brought back from exile…" Maka almost whispered.

"Exile?" Ragnarok now exclaimed, suddenly emerging from Crona's back. "Doesn't that mean he's done a very serious crime?"

"Yeah, like what you did – "

"Oi, Black*Star!" Tsubaki warned her meister.

"Eh? Minna! Look!" Patty's childlike voice interrupted the bickering as she pointed downward at the grounds. They could see Sid-sensei and Maka's father coming out of the school building, stiff and rather nervous.

"What is this, really?" Kid said in an undertone, still observing closely. Black*Star, however, was growing impatient.

"Ah, screw this!" the assassin yelled, jumping off the balcony. The others only followed him with stares, but Soul followed suit.

"Well, we can't hear anything they say from here!" Soul said before jumping off himself.

That got everyone, including a reluctant Kid, to follow and run up to the middle where they could see and hear everything. Up close, Kid noted how the newcomer's clothes looked rather… familiar. The hooded flowing black garment, tattered at the edges… Surely, this person wasn't…?

"Izumi," Sid-sensei said in a low voice, nodding at the person.

Slowly, this "Izumi" lowered the hood of the black coat to reveal shoulder length jet black hair. The person's hair was parted at the side, covering one eye – no, covering half the face – but Kid could tell it was a girl, from the soft facial features he could see. And her hair… her hair annoyed Kid. Why did she have to part her hair in such an asymmetrical manner? Kid's hands balled into fists, restraining himself from jumping into the scene and fixing the atrocious hairstyle in front of him.

"Welcome back, Izumi-chan," Spirit nodded with a small smile.

The statement confirmed Maka's information, though. This person, whoever she was, had been exiled and, for some reason, has been called back by Shinigami-sama. It was another of those decisions his father made that Kid did not comprehend. Clearly, the rest of the students did not understand what was happening either, as all of them just stood there, watching and waiting in silence.

Izumi nodded at Spirit, but Kid noticed something was off. Like… the girl's movements were somehow restrained. Kid knew the Death Cloak* could be used as a binder for enemies. If she needed to be bound, _why_ at all was she here in Shibusen?

A gasp from behind him, probably from Tsubaki, stirred Kid away from his thorough observation of the newcomer and, raising his gaze, he saw something that he had not witnessed in quite some time.

"Okaeri nasai, Izumi-chan~"

Shinigami-sama, the Death God himself, was walking out of the Shibusen castle and onto the school entrance, seemingly in a welcoming gesture for this strange girl. Izumi bowed and kept her head so. At least, Kid thought, she was aware of how she should act and to whom she should pay respect.

"Izumi-chan," Kid's father spoke again in the same laughable manner. "Before you enter Shibusen, you are aware of the protocols that must be followed~"

The girl nodded, her head still bowed.

"Protocols? What protocols?" Liz said, receiving blank stares from everyone.

"Maka," Soul quietly asked so that only their group could hear. "What can you see from Soul Perception?"

"I – I – "

The group turned to Maka, who seemed unable to get her words out. She was staring at Izumi as well, her expression uncertain, almost fearful.

"What is it?" Soul asked again.

"I can't… see her soul."

"Are you telling me that girl has no soul?" Black*Star yelled characteristically.

Thankfully, some chatter among the spectators' crowd had begun upon the mention of "protocols," so that his outburst went unnoticed. Kid turned his attention back to the center, where his father and the strange girl remained standing. Kid knew that Maka was alarmed because the only other being she had ever failed to use Soul Perception on was Shinigami-sama himself.

"Soul Purification!"

Without warning, Shinigami-sama bellowed the incantation and raised one of his gigantic hands, resting it on the girl's head as if praying over her. Light emanated from his hand as the girl was slowly lifted off her feet, now apparently unconscious. Kid recognized this ability. It was one of the first he was taught, being the son of a death god. This power was used on people who were suspected of having souls on their way to becoming Kishin eggs! The purification ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Izumi landed back on the ground on all fours.

"If Shinigami-sama purified her soul," Maka's partner began, turning to the rest of the group as he went back to his cool demeanor. "Then she probably has a soul, right?"

Black*Star grinned, as always agreeing with Soul's logic. Kid could not, however, comfort himself with the fact that the girl had a soul. She was suspected to have an evil soul! How many times would he be asking _why_ this person is being brought into Shibusen?

"It seems all is well, Izumi-chan~" Shinigami-sama said, looking down at the girl who still had not gotten up. Soul Purification can take a toll on the energy of the receiving party as well, Kid was sure.

Izumi finally stood up, the Death Cloak dissolving around her, as it normally would if donned by the proper owner who controlled it. Upon the disappearance of the cloak, the clothing that remained on the girl surprised Kid. She looked… _civilized_ for an exiled student. She was wearing a white dress cut just above the knee, and Kid had to note that the A pattern was perfectly symmetrical. Around her waist and running down the front and back center of the dress were black stripes, forming a cross on both sides. Also symmetrical. At the center of the front cross was a metal skull, similar to the one Kid wore at the center of his collar.

"Oi, Kid," Patty suddenly spoke. "You look like brother and sister with those clothes!"

Liz and the others laughed at Patty's statement, but were hushed when Shinigami-sama spoke once more.

"Like I said earlier, okaeri nasai~"

"Arigatou," Izumi answered, now looking at Shinigami-sama head on.

Her voice was soft and reserved, pretty much what one would expect of such appearance, but somehow, Kid felt something bizarre with the way she talked, like it was forged, like the voice was not hers at all.

The girl looked Kid's father in the eye (or in the mask) and Kid felt chills go up his spine as Izumi's lips curled into a minute, aloof smile before speaking again,

"Tadaima, Chichiue."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>

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><p>*Death Cloak – just my shot at naming the thing Shinigami-sama (and sometimes Death the Kid) wears<p>

Wrote this on a whim and will probably update depending on how it's received. It's not much but yeah, I've got a story going on in my head. 8D


	2. Mission 1

"Hey, what's your name again?"

Death the Kid had not had a chance to relay to the others just how _scandalized_ he was at the moment, but that thought would have to wait. From what he heard, there was a quick faculty meeting in the Death Room. He, however, was stuck with all the other students who were instructed to return to their respective classrooms after the commotion that was the arrival of Izumi.

"I am Izumi."

Kid was a few seats away from Liz and Patty, who had begun interviewing the newcomer. He did not instruct them to do so, but at least they would extract from her some basic information which he could work with. He was hoping that by the end of the day he would be able to clarify a few things with his father.

"Izumi…?"

There was an awkward pause wherein the Thompson sisters waited for a surname, but no answer came from their interviewee. Kid gritted his teeth and determinedly stared at the chalkboard. That girl called his father "_Father_." What in the world was that about?

"Oh. My name is Liz."

"I'm Patty! Let's be friends, okay!"

Kid's head snapped in their direction, and was a bit startled to see a smiling Maka blocking his view. The rest of the group had gathered around him, too. With an indisposed sigh, he turned back to the chalkboard as if it were the most interesting thing in the universe.

"Why are they even making friends with her?" he said after a few moments, unable to contain his annoyance anymore.

"What's wrong with that? She's not an enemy," said Maka. Kid was _not_ going to be convinced by such crude logic.

"You're not jealous of her, are you, Kid?" came Soul's idle voice from the seat above Kid.

"And _why_ would I be jealous? There is no reason for that."

"Well, all the while, we all thought you were an only child. Now, it turns out you aren't~"

"Maka!" Kid exclaimed, offended with how plainly the scythe meister had versed his predicament. It surely wasn't as simple as that. "Besides, I am not convinced that she is my sister."

"What do you mean?" Tsubaki now piped up to his other side.

"To begin with, we are of the same age. We are not twins – "

"Maybe she's from a different mother – ?"

"Preposterous! My honorable father would _never_ commit adul – "

"Yeah, yeah, we wouldn't want to hear about something like that anyway – "

"Besides, does she look like me? No. I do admire the symmetry governing most of her body but her hair – "

"But your hair, too, isn't symmetrical – "

At that, Kid threw himself to the floor and wailed, as everyone turned exasperated stares at Black*Star who made the comment about the young shinigami's hair.

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><p>"Stein-kun~"<p>

The faculty meeting was a mere announcement regarding the new student who just arrived, and upon its end, Stein was already on his way out with the other teachers when Shinigami-sama called for him to remain.

"I am sure you are aware of the risks we are taking, recalling Izumi-chan from exile~"

Stein made a small smile before replying, "That is your decision, Shinigami-sama. I do not have the power or right to say otherwise – "

"Let me get to the point," Shinigami-sama interrupted in a rather stern tone. "And the point is that you are to stay away from her. Is that clear?"

Now, Stein was positively smiling, and even Death himself found it quite alarming. Even back then, Franken Stein had always been a fairly difficult student to handle. He was especially tricky to manage when he found an object of curiosity.

"How am I supposed to do that? You placed her in my class – "

One of the risks Death had taken when he decided to recall Izumi was just this. Stein. And his dangerous mind.

"You know very well of what kind of contact to avoid, Stein-kun~"

"She is just a child," said Stein, raising his hands in surrender, the sinister smile never leaving his lips. "I don't get this anymore than she or your own son would."

"It is merely a matter of proper timing and sufficient explanation in Kid's case. Kid's troubles – or impending troubles – with Izumi are negligible compared to your – "

"You are risking Kid's life – !"

"Stop pretending to be concerned for Kid, Stein-kun~" Shinigami-sama interrupted once more, this time in his gentle but _final_ tone. "You will _not_ earn guardianship over Izumi-chan~"

Stein's face had now gone taut, his hands at his sides.

"Please do not attempt to hurt or charm Izumi-chan to your favor. It will be useless. Izumi-chan is not Shino Izumi anymore."

With that, the professor calmly turned around to head out. Before entering the hallway that led out of the Death Room, however, he stopped in his tracks and, without facing Shinigami-sama, spoke,

"If you truly believe that her soul has been reduced to human, why, Shinigami-sama, did you decide to recall her from exile and keep her here, where you can keep an eye on her at all times?"

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><p>Kid thought he would be granted some peace of mind at the end of this sickening day, but before the sun was down, his father had <em>generously<em> assigned him on a mission. With the new girl.

After school, he was called to the Death Room and willingly obliged, thinking that he would finally get some questions answered. He was, then, told – by Maka's Death Scythe father, no less – that he was not allowed to take Liz and Patty with him. Fair enough, he thought. If Izumi's case was undisclosed, Kid did not need to share it with others.

Now, after finding himself in the Death Room with his father and _Izumi_ herself and being instructed to go weaponless, Kid was quite sure his father sent him on this mission just to force him to work with Izumi. Kid managed to get just one question out before being ushered out by his father:

"Why did she call you 'Father' earlier?" Kid yelled out of the blue, at which Shinigami paused and looked at him like he was dumb.

"Because she is my daughter~?"

This mission was perhaps an attempt to draw them close like – Kid thought, sickened – brother and sister. _An __attempt __as __futile __as __making __Liz __and __Patty __symmetrical,_ Kid grudgingly thought, grinding his teeth together.

"Kid-kun," a voice above him suddenly said.

Kid had not heard a word from Izumi all throughout their journey to these unchartered forests they were currently in. They decided to station themselves atop a towering tree among its many branches. It was merely a surveillance mission, so that there was no need to get hazardously close to the investigation subject's base.

"I am aware that you do not like me, and it does not take a genius to understand why."

The young shinigami found it difficult to take Izumi's words seriously. To begin with, this was their _first_ conversation. How on earth could she tell that –

"I will take my chance, though, and ask you to open up to me, because I like you, and I would like to get to know you better."

Forget about it being their first conversation. Izumi _liked_ him? Kid struggled to keep himself from laughing. This girl was crazy, possibly.

"You _do_ know that I don't believe we are siblings, right?" Kid asked after climbing a few branches over to the same level as where Izumi was. Izumi nodded innocently, a smile almost hinting at her rather pale face.

"The improbability is indeed overwhelming," she replied, as if it wasn't her they were talking about.

Kid only rolled his eyes in response, and set his gaze at the treetops that could be seen from where he was perched. No visible movement anywhere so far.

"However, I have been in exile for as long as I can remember, and the only truths I know are those given to me by Shinigami-sama. That is why, if he tells me that he is my father, I can only believe him."

_For __as __long __as __she __can __remember? _Kid thought, making mental notes. _Was __she __exiled __as __a __child, __perhaps?_

"But what if… what if you find out that you aren't his daughter?" Kid now challenged. "What would you think?"

"Kid-kun, you truly are an analytical person, ne?"

"Eh?" Kid thought what he asked was the natural response, the normal question to supply.

"Regarding such topic, most people would ask how one would feel, but instead you asked what my thoughts would be."

Kid was torn between being suspicious and feeling shy. Izumi was seeing right through him without using any apparent power. It was unnerving and yet comforting at the same time. All the while, the girl stared back at him.

"Izumi," Death the Kid began.

He still was not sure why he was so skeptical about this girl's identity, or at least what he knew so far, which was not a lot. Whenever he sensed something off, he was rarely wrong about it. But seeing as he was stuck up here, on a tree, for some hours to spy upon an enemy which was silent as the dead, perhaps he could entertain himself with a fable or two, whatever story this girl had to tell. Kid can always check his facts later when he got home.

There was a hushed gust of wind as Kid decided to say what was on his mind:

"Why were you exiled?"

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><p><em>To be continued…<em>

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><p>AN: Reviews would be nice~ :3


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